EXPERIMENTAL

Every Wednesday Evening December 2017 – March 2018

When we started our Experimental Dinner Series, we thought it would be interesting, and perhaps a little uncomfortable, to invite our guests to experience our culinary development process. In the process, I re-learned the lesson I surprisingly learned when we opened in 2005. The Painted Lady family and guests are some of the most adventurous people I am fortunate to know. We discovered a lot of terrific ideas over this winter that will shape our path forward through the summer. We are so grateful that our guests are always happy to follow us along any tangent and explore the possibilities of our creative process.

Five to Seven Courses | $55 per personprice does not include optional pairings & gratuity

EXPERIMENTAL RECAP OF YEAR 2

Cheese

March 18, 2017

Traditional Breakfast

March 18, 2017

Canapes

March 18, 2017

Main Course

March 18, 2017

Amuse-Bouche

March 18, 2017

3/15/17

The coming of St. Patrick’s Day gave me cause to reflect. I realized I was not familiar with Irish cuisine. I got a lot of assistance from our good friend Eamonn Hughes. We found that mid-March, in Oregon, was a great time to celebrate Ireland. I decided to make my own version of a traditional breakfast, with blood sausage, pork brisket, Irish bacon, sous vide egg and roasted tomato. Some other inspirations were: oysters, cabbage, bacon, hollandaise, potato crusted monkfish with mussels and green garlic nage, and of course spring lamb encroute with spring vegetables.

Vegan

March 18, 2017

Vegan

March 18, 2017

Vegan

March 18, 2017

Pasta

March 18, 2017

Vegan

March 18, 2017

Vegan 3/8/17

I wanted to try to understand the Vegan philosophy and see if I could develop a menu around those principles – without feeling as though it was a challenge or an omission. Though it was a challenge, I found some new dishes that I enjoyed quite a lot and discovered some interesting techniques. The Banh Xeo Jessica and I found recently at a Vietnamese restaurant is one of my new favorite foods, and lended itself nicely to being vegan.Once again, I realize, umami si at the center of my cuisine, and leaned on it heavily to give the dishes a well rounded depth and richness.

*Tip – You can make a delicious and flaky crust using coconut oil instead of butter.

VEGAN – MENU (EDIBLE MENU)

Steamed

Steamed

Steamed

February 18, 2017

Avocado & Crab

February 18, 2017

Steamed

February 18, 2017

Atlantic Cod

February 18, 2017

Steamed Cheddar Biscuits

February 18, 2017

The Kitchen

February 18, 2017

STEAMED 2/15/17

I think we all love the cooking process of steaming, and I think we should all do a lot more of it. There actually aren’t as many readily available equipment for steaming as you’d think. It’s an incredibly versatile, fast, and healthy way to cook. The process also requires a lot less natural resources. And it’s fun. So we steamed some cheddar biscuits for a canapé, Atlantic cod wrapped in cabbage leaves, reinterpreted chawanmushi with a bao bun crust, half of an avocado stuffed with Dungeness crab, and did a quasi crab boil in a banana leaf with fingerling potatoes, cippolinis, octopus and homemade chorizo.

It was definitely a challenge to set up the kitchen line with all steamers and no baking or sautéing! Another first for our kitchen.

Durian Nain Gao

Dim Sum

Crispy Opakapaka & Fermented Black Beans

March 18, 2017

Pulled Chicken & Rye Noodles

March 18, 2017

Deconstructed Peking Duck

March 18, 2017

Chinese New Years

March 18, 2017

THE YEAR OF THE ROOSTER 2/1/17

Our pastry chef Bethany came up with this one, and I instantly loved the idea. Admittedly, I knew very little about the background, but it was an incredible opportunity to learn and embrace the traditions of a rich culture. We place a strong emphasis on family and community. That resonated with us. We were able to take time to reflect on the successes of the year gone by, and celebrate new beginnings as the people we wish to become. We served a lot of dumplings and noodles, fish and chicken, all in the hopes of prosperity. We even pulled together a family style Peking Duck reimagined. The best part though, was having so many familiar faces of long time guests (our extended family of guests) join us for this celebration in our dining room. As well, we got an overly gracious welcoming with our new friends at Lan Se Chinese Garden for some inspiration.

The Team

Flatbread

CALVADOS PINEAPPLE PITHIVIER

February 16, 2017

BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS/NY WAGYU

February 16, 2017

CARLTON FARM PORK BELLY

February 16, 2017

CHILI FIRE ROASTED OCTOPUS

February 16, 2017

FROM THE WOOD FIRE 1/25/17

It’s always a treat to Oregonians when we get a little faux spring in January or February, especially when the winter has been particularly harsh. So, we seized the moment! Our wood fired ‘pizza’ oven is one of my favorite aspects of The Painted Lady, an one we’re constantly trying to include more into our arsenal. We enlisted the assistance from close friend and resident wood-fire expert, Kris Utz, owner o fRenaissance Catering, to collaborate and bring in his two ovens. We ran the entire menu out of the three ovens. The fickle flame is definitely a different animal from a control knob gas, but it lends flavors and penetrating heat are a thing unlike any other.

The fire braised short ribs with pan roasted Wagyu steak were the clear favorite, though octopus was a surprising hit. Guests at the Painted Lady may see a Chef at the Patio Wood-Fired Station this season.

POTATO PUDDING

January 25, 2017

Sheppard’s Pie

January 25, 2017

Scalloped Potato

January 25, 2017

Potato Salad

January 25, 2017

Sweet Potato Soup

January 25, 2017

POTATO 1/18/17

Very few ingredients have such a vast diversity or as much versatility. An oxymoron of humility and decadence, and a canvas to accompany the spectrum of flavors. We wanted to touch upon as many varieties as we could, and utilize as many cooking techniques as possible. On a side note, potatoes have always been one of my favorite foods. ~Chef Allen Routt

Creme Brûlée

Yellowfin Tuna

Sea bass with manilla clams

California pigeon breast

Sonoma foie gras & Maine lobster

January 8, 2017

Charlie Trotter – 1/4/17

Experimental Dinner 2.3

What I thought would be one of the easier Experimental’s, became one of the more challenging.

THE BACKSTORY
My friend Andrew Turner from valley wine merchants across the street, gave me a mint condition menu from Charlie Trotters for Christmas. It so happened it was from a Wednesday in aug of 95, and we thought, why not recreate it? Coincidentally that was where Jessica and I had our honeymoon dinner, and I was always, of course, a huge fan of his work.

I thought using a menu another chef had written would be easier, but trying to take a great chefs collection of dishes, and trying to give them justice and make them our own is incredibly challenging. Throughout the creative process of something isn’t organically coming together there’s always the flexibility of going in a different direction, this was taking a seven to ten word description and realizing how those elements come together for us. ~Allen Routt, Owner & Chef

Ricotta & Golden Raisin Gnudi

Lobster Gratin

Terrine of Dual Flavored Pastas

January 8, 2017

Wine Pairings

January 8, 2017

Ciabatta Gnocchi

January 8, 2017

Pork Cheek Ragu

January 8, 2017

Hand Rolled Orecchiette

January 8, 2017

PASTA -12/28/16

Experimental Dinner 2.2

We thought it would be really fun to explore one of the worlds most favorite foods, and play with making some styles of pasta that we don’t traditionally use at the painted lady. Another aspect of the experiment is to a pasta tasting menu, not uncommon, but to keep it from getting heavy or overly burdensome. To emphasize diversity in flavors and textures and not overwhelm the palate.

Tempura

Ramen

FRIED PORK CUTLET

January 8, 2017

OMLETTE RICE

January 8, 2017

Sashimi

January 8, 2017

Snacks 2

January 8, 2017

SNACKS

January 8, 2017

Skewers

January 8, 2017

IZAKAYA – 12.21.16

Experimental Dinner 2.1

Sometime in the late fall, Donnie (who has been running our lead station in the kitchen for a while now) asked if I had seen ‘Midnight Diner’ on Netflix. I hadn’t, and when I did I loved the premise. A bar/ diner in Tokyo, run by an interesting and dynamic cook. Open from midnight to 7 am, only runs one dish at a time. He can prepare whatever his guests want, as long as he has the ingredients.

We decided we should experiment with some of Japan’s traditional bar food, and some of the dishes highlighted on the show. Food so close to Donnie and my hearts and some of the food we enjoy the most. Transcendent bar food.